


Play With Fire

by SmallTownWriter12342



Series: Mason and Mariana [1]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Bit of M being soft, Bit of angst as well, F/M, They are a bit hard to write for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26629981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallTownWriter12342/pseuds/SmallTownWriter12342
Summary: The snippets that I have done for Mason and my detective, Mari. I'm just trying things out, so hopefully it turns out okay!
Relationships: Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Series: Mason and Mariana [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944646
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	1. Birthday!

**Author's Note:**

> Sometime between book 2 and book 3
> 
> I also recommend reading this tumblr post before for context (ESPECIALLY for this one)  
> https://gamingtrashbasin.tumblr.com/post/629811030299656192/unit-bravo-as-cakes-theyd-buymake-you-for-your

Mariana took another swing at the right side of the training dummy, watching it swing back on the impact. 

She had been in the training room for hours ever since she had that fight with Rebecca this morning.

Rebecca had asked her to come into her office this morning, apparently “having some concerns” about how she was handling the balance between her job as detective of Wayhaven and as a human liaison for the Agency, on her birthday no less. 

_You really want to act like you care now on how I handle the stress? After all of these years?_

It had been enough to set Mariana off, and even though she knew she have never taken it so personally, it still dug under her skin. She had to survive her entire childhood alone, and she had no qualms to keep going through this alone.

She never even wanted to be detective of Wayhaven. In middle school, she was a bit of a trouble-maker, and at first, when a teacher suggested that she join ROTC, she had been completely against it, but needing an elective, she put it down anyway. Come to find out she actually loved it, enjoying the structure and rules of it, and wanted more then anything to join the army after graduating from high school, already talking to a recruiter years in advance.

Her absent mother had put her foot done there, apparently choosing now to care about what her daughter was doing and at seventeen, there was not much she could do against her mother, even if she only saw her a few times a year. She soon afterward joined the police force as an officer, and she was genuinely enjoying it, the structure something that she liked.

But she never wanted to be a detective, and it took Captain Sung forcing the nameplate on her desk in order for her to finally relent. Now, she was also a liaison in her mother’s secretive agency that dealt with the supernatural, and Mariana wanted nothing to do with it.

Well, Unit Bravo was at least a reason to stay. They had treated her like just like another one of them rather quickly, and even if she questioned the Agency’s intentions, she sure as hell trusted them.

Throwing one last punch at the dummy, Mariana put her hands on her knees, feeling exhausted, her whole body dripping with sweat, but she felt better. And succumbing to her extremely small professional side, she decided that she would go to her mother and apologize for her outburst.

She ran her hands through her ebony hair, it falling just to her chin, and as she was going to get her change of clothes, she heard of shout of Felix’s laughter. Curiosity peaked, and Mariana did her best to make herself more presentable as she walked to find the source of it.

“What’s going on in here?”, she asked as she walked to the group of the four of them. Felix was still laughing when she got there, Nate was shaking his head in exasperation, and Adam was looking as stoic and serious as he normally did, but none of them were the vampire that captured her attention.

Mason was perched on his normal side table, his forever roughish appearance kept with his shoulder length dark hair, his wolf-like grey eyes, and a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. In the past few months that she had known him, she more then enjoyed the fire that burned between them, and even though they had no more but causal sex at this point, after she saw Mason hurt after the fight with the trappers just might have awaken feelings that she did not know she had, even if Mason did not feel the same way.

Felix gave his well-known grin, “Oh, hey Mari! You’ll never guess what Mason did”.

Mariana gave a light laugh, “I stopped being surprised by what Mason has does quite a while ago”, to which she heard Adam give a long-exasperated groan.

“Then maybe I need to rectify that?”, Mason said, a sultry tone in his voice, and before she could say something equally sultry back, Nate let out a sigh.

“Can you both not?”, he said, then turning to Mariana, “Well anyway, happy birthday Mari”.

Mariana knew that he and others likely heard the fight between her and Rebecca, and she was glad that he decided not to mention it.

“Thanks, she said, “So, what did Mason do?”

Felix let out a fit of laughter, and Mariana finally looked at the table, and finally saw what they were all referring to.

It was a birthday cake, or at least that she thought was supposed to be. It was a dense circular cake, hastily covered in beige icing, with the phrase “fuck off” scrawled in black icing setting off center, and to top it all off, three cigarettes set up like candles.

There was no question who was behind this.

Mariana flashed a devilish grin on her face, “Aw, sunshine, it’s so sweet”

Mason flashed her a smirk, “Nate made me do it, sweetheart”.]

She scoffed, “Believe me, I can tell”.

Nate gave a long sigh, “I’m truly sorry about this, Mari. This is not what I had planned for”

“He still made it himself”, Mari said in response, “And I’m pretty sure that’s an accomplishment in itself”.

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that”, said Felix, “Thought definitely he would just try and blow it off”.

Mariana then looked over the team, the four people who had managed to turn her life completely on its head these last few months, “Thank you all truly. But I need to go see my mother first, then we can continue this.”

Adam gave her a nod, seeming to find approval in that statement, and as she went to go, Mariana was shocked to find Mason following her, and when they got to the hallway, she turned to face him.

“What are you doing here?”, she asked, and Mason’s face fell into his usual smirk.

“Just figured I walk with you”, he shrugged, and Mariana met his eyes, their eyes level with each other from them being the same height.

Mason opened his mouth, but Mariana met his lips in a kiss, and Mason immediately answered with his own, the two practically falling fighting each other in a passionate fury, stoking the fire that they each felt inside the other, until Mariana finally broke it off.

“Was that what you were expecting?”, she purred next to his ear, and she felt him snort.

“Admittedly, no”, Mason responded, “But I’m not complaining”.

Mariana gave him a grin, “I’ll be back later. We could finish what we started”.

“I’ll look forward to it with bated breath”, he said, and he started to walk away, and Mariana was about to open the door to her mother’s office when he turned around.

“Mari?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy birthday”, he simply said before actually leaving this time, and Mariana started to talk herself up to go to her mother, and as soon as she felt like she was ready, she opened the door.


	2. Late Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was suggested by a lovely anon on tumblr. Thank you so much!  
> This does have very mild book 3 spoilers- You have been warned

When she thought back to it later, Mariana could barely remember how the argument started.

Rebecca had sent her and Mason together to go work out some negotiations, which seemed to work out well enough, and on the car ride back to her apartment, she did remember looking back at Mason, her heart feeling like it would bust out of her chest.

Mariana and committed relationships had never worked together. She had let herself make that mistake once, and she was determined never to make it again.

But her heart had different plans, apparently. And it just had to be the man who seemed forever pissed off about something, but she had quiet moments with him. She _knew_ there was more to him then he would ever admit to himself, but she had seen it. It was there.

She groaned audibly, flashing her gaze to the car window.

_Of all people, he’s the one you become some sort of lovesick teenager over._

“Everything alright sweetheart?”, he asked breaking the silence between them.

_And that was something new._

Mason’s normal sarcastic use of the pet name had softened recently, and she it made her skin heat, and she begged that she was not looking too far into it.

_It’s so stupid that I’m so star-struck by that of all things._

“Why wouldn’t I be?”, she scoffed, crossing her legs.

Mason looked over her for a second, and then turned away, and Mariana felt something on her tongue that she had tried to bury down for a long time. She wasn’t sure what she thinking, or whether she was thinking at all, but it came out anyway.

“Is it ever going to mean something?”

“Mari, what the hell are you talking about?”

She looked back at him, her stomach feeling as though a knot was forming, but even in the low light, she could see his face, and it was not the expression she expected-a mix between confusion and realization.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about”, she spat out, more bite in her voice then she intended.

“Then what to do you want me to say?”, he growled, his voice becoming darker.

“I want an answer, godammit!”

Suddenly, Mason slammed on the brakes of the car, and before Mariana could ask him what the hell that was about, she turned to see that they were at her apartment building.

Looking once again at him for an answer she did not receive, she got out of the car and expected not to look back, but a level voice broke through.

“I don’t know”

It was said so simply, but the meaning was obvious, and Mariana turned one last time to look at him, and allowed herself in drink in the sight of him, just for a second.

She gave him a nod, and went ahead and walked inside, feeling his eyes on her as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I was really nervous about writing this chapter, but I think I really really like it. It is a bit short, but trying to drag out I felt would ruin the impact. Mason and Mari are the absolute hardest to write for me, but I do enjoy writing them! If you have requests, please leave a comment or send me a message at @smalltowndetective I'd love to do it! I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Figuring it Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a (kind of?) part 2 of Late Night, the chapter before this one. I did make this one able to stand on its on without it, but that is basic idea around it.  
> This is also a request from a lovely anon on tumblr!

Mason was not quite sure when it started.

Mariana, with a sarcastic response for every situation, and an equally bold flirt to every one of his, started looking at him differently.

And he could not explain it, but he liked it.

Unlike Mari’s normal expression when she looked at him, a deep smirk that could even rival his own, it was softer, kinder, her hazel eyes wide, her heart fluttering in a way he had never heard it before.

Mason doubted anyone who call Mariana sweet, but it was the only way he knew how to describe it, and he was surprised to find it drew him in just as much as her smirk.

But he may have just ruined everything.

The last time they spoke was three days ago, and Mari had asked him if it was ever going to mean something, to which he had just said he did not know, and the longer he thought about it, the more he realized how true that was.

Mason was not quite sure whether she was avoiding him or if they had just been busy, but the separation from her was cutting deeper than expected.

The last time they spoke was three days ago, and Mari had asked him if it was ever going to mean something, to which he had just said he did not know, and the longer he thought about it, the more he realized how true that was.

He clenched his light cigarette in the ash tray, and then got up from his perch at the side table, and had planned to go up to the roof, if not for the person who walked outside the doorway to the social room.

“Mari”, he said, almost against his own volitation, and he watched as she turned, her chin-length hair shaking as she did so, and threw what Mason knew was a masking grin.

“Disappointed, sunshine?”

Mason was no stranger to hiding his own feelings with sarcasm, and maybe that similarity between them is what drew him to her in the first place.

“I’m not”, he shrugged sincerely, and he saw Mari’s grin wipe off her face.

“How have you been?”, she asked, her eyes looking uncharacteristically softly at him, and it made his insides twist in a way he was not used to.

“I’m fine”, he said, trying to hide the bite that always seemed to be in his voice.

“Good”, she muttered, and he was starting to hate the stiffness that had fallen between them, but he was not quite sure how to fix it.

“Do you want to come up to the roof with me?”, he asked, a bit surprised at himself for asking. 

Mariana’s eyes widen, “I would like that”.

Not turning around to look at her, Mason started off, and she followed closely behind.

Once they made it to the roof, they sat together in silence, and he realized he never not wanted silence less then right now, but he had idea how to fix it.

“I’m sorry”, Mari finally said, breaking the silence.

“Don’t be, sweetheart”, he said smoothly, “We’ll figure it out, whatever that entails”.

Mariana’s face lit up in a joking grin, but the first genuine one Mason had seen for a while.

“You’re never going to get rid of me, sunshine”

Mason gave a snort, and Mari moved closer to him, and he waited in anticipation when her gaze went to his lips.

It was cut off by Mari’s phone going off, and he suddenly got the desire to smash the damn thing.

She took her phone of her pocket, and growled, “It’s the mayor, I have to take this”.

“Do you really have to?”

“Trust me, I rather not”, she said, getting up to leave to go back inside, and he went ahead and followed her back.

Mari had gone to her room to take the call, and judging my how tightly her jaw was clenching before she left, she was biting back from saying her normal sarcastic comments.

But as he walked back to the social room alone, there was an intense feeling of relief that Mari was not upset with him, and though he did not quite understand it, he realized just how okay with that feeling.

Nate was in the social room when he came back in, and he turned up to look at him when he walked in.

“How’s Mari?”

“She’s fine”, Mason shrugged, and he saw a rare self-satisfied grin go over Nate’s face.

“You’re in love with her”.

Mason almost choked at the statement, “What?”

“You don’t realize it now”, Nate continued as he hadn’t spoken, “But you will”.

All he could do as stare at him blankly as Nate left the room, suddenly more and more unsure of where he and Mariana where going, but part of him was eager to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! As always, if you have any requests, leave a comment or send me a message on tumblr @smalltowndetective. I'd love to do them!


	4. Never Felt This Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I am back doing my snippets on here! I hope you enjoyed all the ones that got posted for the 31 Days!  
> This was requested by a lovely anon on tumblr. Thank you!  
> #37- "Lie to me then"  
> I hope you enjoy!

Mariana would never call herself a patient person.

Not in a million years.

And as much as she trying to be, she was not sure how long she could wait for Mason to figure it all out, even she still had doubts on her feelings. It was like she needed confirmation that she was not the only one feeling this confusion.

The longer it went on, the more anxious she became that he was just trying to avoid telling her that it would never mean nothing more, and she was certain that she could not take much more of this.

_Just give me a damn answer. A yes or a no._

_The “I don’t know” is just making me nervous at this point._

_Either one would be fine._

_I just want to know which one._

But a part of her always stopped her from wanting to bring this up to him directly, as if she was almost scared of him pushing away.

_And that would hurt more then not having an answer._

She took another swing at the training dummy in the warehouse’s training room, and she watched it topple over to the ground, breathing heavy.

Mariana always went here when she needed to clear her head, letting herself focus on something else besides the raging thoughts, and once it had calmed down, she would go back to acting like nothing had happened.

_It’s easier this way._

_Better be anxious then to end up heartbroken._

Allowing herself to be vulnerable was not something that was about to happen if she was the only one that felt this way.

_Letting him in will just give him the power to destroy you._

_You know this._

_Then why do you want this so bad?_

_Don’t you remember what happened last time?_

She could feel herself outwardly seethe at the thought of it all, and she felt her fingernails dig in her palms, and even though her palm protested, she hardly noticed.

_It’s not fair that Mason of all people is the one I want to break my ways down for._

_How the hell did it end up like this?_

This had never happened before, this want for a deeper connection, someone that she would belong to, and it just had to be _Mason_ that she was asking for that connection with.

_You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to this._

_You both did._

Mariana felt her collapse on the bench, running her hands through her damp hair, trying to get the thoughts out of her head.

Her normal solution to just ignoring the problem until it went away was not working, but she had no idea what to do with it all.

She almost got the sudden desire to talk to Nate about it, though she was not what good that would do.

_What would you even say?_

_I can barely figure out what I’m feeling, much less find out a way to articulate it in a way that would make any sense._

Mariana put her head in her hands, fighting against the urge to scream in frustration, and she barely noticed when the training door room opened.

“Hey”

She looked up at Mason, who came up to stand next to her.

_Please don’t. Not now. I’m currently a wreck, and when that happens, I’ll say something I know I’ll regret._

“Hey yourself”, she replied, giving him the absolute best masking smile that she could muster.

He raised an eyebrow, and she internally groaned, knowing nothing went unnoticed by him, regardless how nonchalant he could be about it.

“You’ve been in here all morning”, he stated.

“So?”

“You look awful”, he muttered, and Mariana could feel herself roll her eyes.

_Yes, your honor, this is the man that I have these feelings for._

_The absolute charmer that he is._

“Something’s been bothering you”, he suddenly said, and she felt her eyes widen. She was not sure why he was being so upfront with her.

“Maybe there is”, she scoffed, not really feeling like she could say without completely spilling everything”

_I’m not going to push him away. Not just yet._

Mason did not say anything, but he almost tenderly put his hand on her shoulder, and the meaning of it was obvious.

_I’ll be here if you ever want to talk about it._

And for a man of few words, he could be remarkably comforting when he truly wanted to be.

He then left, turning back to look at her with an almost worried look in her eyes, but she could have imagined that, before leaving completely.

Mariana’s mind was in a frenzy, but she managed to bite it all down.

But it did leave her with one realization.

_I really do need to talk about this is someone._

She was not feeling up to talking to Mason about it, but she then was reminded about Nate.

_It’s the best shot that I got for now._

Sighing, she went to her change of clothes, and worked on making herself slightly more presentable before leaving the training room.

Mariana was not quite sure Nate was, but the library was never a bad place to start, and luckily for her already racing pulse as she thought about what she was going to say, she was correct.

“Mari?”, he asked as she walked in, and she saw him knit his eyebrows, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

She took a deep composure-inducing breath, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

His eyes soften, “Of course. You want any coffee?”

“I’d like that”, she nodded, and she felt herself slump in one of the armchairs in the library. She never spent much time in here, favoring the social areas or the training room, but she could see why Nate liked it so much.

_It’s peaceful to say for certain._

He handed her a mug before sitting across from her, and she took a sip, realizing she had never told him what she liked in her coffee, but he seemed to know anyway.

“I never told you I liked black coffee”, she spoke up, almost an attempt to avoid talking about what she had come to talk about in the first place.

Nate gave a light chuckle, “I’ve seen the way you avoid adding sugar in your coffee like it’s the plague”

She laughed herself, letting the lightness of it all make her feel slightly better, “I suppose that’s true”

“But what did you come in here for?”, he asked, a look of seriousness filling his face.

Mariana went through about three different ways to start in her head, but she ended up blurting out anyway

“It’s about Mason”

“What about him?”, Nate said, but there seemed to be a look of realization on his face she did not understand.

“I- don’t know how to explain it”, she began, “I’m not even sure how I feel myself. But I feel this pull to him that I’ve never felt with anyone before, but I know that he does not feel that same way”

“And what makes you think he doesn’t?”

“The same thing with me? Both of our own subversions to serious relationships? It’s unfair for me to think that it would ever be deeper than that. I knew what I was getting into”

Mariana gave a shaky breath after finishing, and she tried to pry her eyes from Nate’s.

“You know”, he started, “I think he’s feeling the same thing you do”

“Please don’t say that just to try and make me feel better”, she almost breathlessly said.

“Look, I’ve known him for years at this point. I’ve had to comfort some broken hearts several times”, he continued, “This is different”

_Lie to me then Nate._

_Don’t try to tell me truth that we can both see._

Nate gave her a smile, “You know he hasn’t been with anyone, or tried to be since meeting you, right?”

“No?”, she said, her shoulders almost feeling heavier at the admission of it.

‘Well, he has”, he replied, “And if that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what will”

Mariana sighed at that, not knowing what else to say.

“He’s just as confused by this as you are”, Nate smiled, “You’ve just realized what was going on first. Once he figures it out, he’s not going to have any trouble admitting it. He just needs to hit him first”

She wanted to tell him about Mason’s “I don’t know” answer, but she decided to keep that to herself for now, but she would not deny she felt slightly better.

_And this goes back to patience_

_Ugh, I really hate that._

“Then for now, what do you think I should do?”, she asked.

“For now?”, Nate said, “Just give it some time. You can mention it to him, but I don’t think you have to. It’ll all unfold eventually”

Even with her doubts still persisting, she allowed herself to give him a smile.

“Thanks Nate”

“No problem,”, he smiled, a smile that seemed to light up his whole face.

“You mind if I stay in here for a bit?”, she asked, wanting to stay in the place that was giving her such a good sense of calm.

“Of course, not”, he replied, “Though I didn’t think this was quite was your scene”

“It’s not”, Mariana admitted, “But I think I like it anyway”

He gave a chuckle at that, and she got up to walk amongst the bookshelves, not knowing what exactly what she was looking for, but she let the serene feeling overwhelm her, a weight off on her chest that she did not even know she had lifting.

_It’s all going to turn out okay._


	5. Beginning of Something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @lividlyinlove on tumblr. Thank you so much! You're the best!
> 
> Dialogue Prompt- "Never let them see it's gotten to you
> 
> And I hope you enjoy! :)

There were a few truths that Mariana had followed in the past twenty-seven years of her life.

Truths that some were from her own mistakes, some from the mistakes of others.

But they made everything easier in her life, not making things a bigger deal then they were, and allowed her to get through everything that was thrown at her.

Part of it was not to have attachments to anyone or anything, no matter how tempting it was.

Since that could all disappear tomorrow, and where we would she be left then? Alone, back to where she was at the start. How she had always been before.

It was no surprise to her that she was this way, her mother obviously not sticking around much, regardless of any family obligations, and she supposed that in order to keep herself from being too affected by it, she decided it would be best just to act like it never bothered her, even though it did.

Having Rebecca know that she felt that way would just make her look vulnerable, and she was going to avoid _that_ at all cost. Mariana was not after anyone’s sympathy, and _especially_ hers.

She had never had a serious relationship in her entire life. It was not something that she had thought about the why much, but it felt right. Simple. They would just have for some fun during the night, and then the next day, act like nothing had happened, no strings attached. There was no chance for hurt feelings that way, and it was easier to deal with, and she had no desire for anything more

But that was before Mason.

That was the statement wasn’t it? The time before Mason, before he came and completely made her want to throw away what she had become so used to for so long. He had ruined everything that she had ever known.

He, of all people, made her want to break her walls down, not Tina, not her mother, _him_. The man who she wanted to show the other side that she kept to herself for so long, even the parts of her that were ashamed of who she was. He seemed to _get_ her, and while Mariana was not sure if that was true or was just her own wishful thinking.

She had entered into whatever they were with the plan to fling and then move on, but that was not happening. He made her want to stay around and never leave, as much as she did not understand this had all come from. For the first time in her life, she craved stability, and she was not sure why, but she was starting to come around to that idea. She felt a sense of loyalty to him that she had never felt with anyone else.

But every time that she allowed herself to dream, it was cut down by a realization each time.

_You knew what you were getting into from the start._

_It’s not like that’s going to change now._

_Right?_

And she thought that there was never going to be anything more to it all, but even with her absence of people skills, even she had noticed he was acting differently, almost concerned? Whatever it was, it definitely did not make any sense to her.

_Yeah, because that’s a sign of feelings right there._

_“I totally glad you didn’t get eaten by a pack of werewolves”_

_Am I really going to take basic concern as sign of it now?_

_It’s not like I wouldn’t be concerned if it was anyone else in the team._

But even with those words, she could not solidly convince herself. There was something different, but it also all the more likely that she read into it incorrectly. It was not like she was the best at this sort of thing, and she doubted she ever would be.

And then there was the matter of the bounty.

Mariana supposed she really could not be surprised that the trappers would intend to kidnap her after everything that had happened with Sanja, and as much as she reverted back to her normal sarcasm, her only defense mechanism, it was hard to deny how on edge it made her, starting to constantly look over her shoulder in the town that she had felt safe in for so long.

_A bunch of people after you for your blood, yeah, I think it would be hard not to be._

But absolutely screw ever actually admitting that. She would much rather have Adam to lecture on her not taking anything seriously then ever actually say that it bothered her. She would take his and Nate’s exasperated sighs any day over what all of this was.

_Don’t ever let them see it’s gotten to you._

This was not supposed how it to be, being worried like this, knowing that the trappers were out there, taking pictures of her when she was unaware, and it made her skin crawl at the thought of it.

_Sometimes, I wish everything could go back the way it was before all of this._

It did make her realize, however, that she would have never met Mason that way, and that thought made her stomach slightly fall at the thought of it.

_You really can’t act like you give up meeting him, can you?_

_Even with the confusion that follows that._

While she could give up all of the mad scientist vampires and mirror men that had come wandering into Wayhaven, she would never give up on meeting the team. They had formed some weird familial relationship somehow, and though she was still unsure how that happened, it seemed natural, as much as some of them got on her nerves sometimes.

_Like real family, I guess._

The thought made her smile, even with the stress that was still threatening to pile up in her head, and she stared at the window of her office, the sun starting to set, the trees all bright green from it being the middle of the summer.

But even with the brightness outside, it did little to settle her worries of who was lurking in the shadows.

Mariana vaguely heard her office door open, but she did not turn around to face who it was, and it took until she heard a familiar voice that she finally turned around.

“Mari” 

It was Mason, his grey eyes just as intense as they always were, his hair perpetually in his face, and he slightly narrowed his eyes, “You’re here late”

“I normally am”, she shrugged, “What are you doing here?”

“Nate wanted to make sure you got home safely”, he replied, and she could feel a mischievous smile form on her lips.

“Oh, Nate did, did he? If I were to call him right now, what would he say?”

He scoffed at that, rolling his eyes, but he did not seem to have much more left to say, and she went to get stand next to him.

“Or, maybe, you’ve taken a bit more of a liking to me then you’d like to admit?”, she teased, but part of her almost hoped that it was true, “And if you do, then I don’t know why you have to say Nate made you do so. It’s kind of funny how you use him a scapegoat, you know”

“Believe what you want, sweetheart”, Mason said as nonchalantly as always, a smirk forming on his lips, but there was something behind his eyes that perhaps implied something deeper.

_But how would I know anyway?_

“Then I’ll be sure to ask him then”, she grinned, “Because I’m sure he would _love_ to tell me”

“You do that”, he responded, almost as if was daring her to, raising one of his eyebrows, “See how it works out for you”

Mariana laughed, and she moved closer to him, till she was mere inches away from his face, and she whispered, “Is that a challenge? You know I can’t back down from those, sunshine”

“Oh, I know you can’t”, he almost seemed to purr, the hint of a smile forming on his lips.

“But seriously”, she said, moving slightly back, “Is this about the bounty?”

“What do you mean?”

“You coming here?”, she asked, not sure why he suddenly looked confused, “That now I got a bunch of lunatics following my every move?”

He narrowed his eyes at that, but looked unsure on what to say, which some time ago would have surprised her, but it was happening more and more recently, and she was not sure as to why.

_Maybe the both of us are just a confused mess._

_Would make me feel better, at least._

She almost got the urge to tell him about how she was truly feeling about everything, finding that he could be surprisingly comforting when he wanted to be, but her words got caught in her throat before she could commit to saying anything.

_You can’t let on how your feeling._

_Not to the bounty, nor to everything else._

Mariana always wondered just how much he much he was actually was picking up on the way that she was acting, knowing that he was the interrogations expert for a reason, but if he did, he never seemed to let on that he did.

“When do you think you’d be leaving?”, he suddenly asked, breaking her out of her train of thought.

“Whenever I finish work?”, she replied, “I really rather not have the either the mayor or Captain Sung on me tomorrow. If I have to deal with one more thing, I might snap”

She had not meant to add that last bit, but she could hardly care at the time, feeling slightly overwhelmed from the stress of being the detective of Wayhaven and also an Agency liaison, and adding that with the bounty and her own confusing emotions, it was slowly starting to build inside, threatening to spill over, and she was not sure how much longer she could act like it did not bother her.

_Maybe Rebecca was right to be worried about how I’m handling it all._

_Because I’m definitely not handling it well._

Feeling herself sigh, she turned back to Mason, “My mind has been a little of a minefield recently with everything. It’ll work itself out soon enough”

_Well, I hope so at least._

It was the closest, at least for now, she would ever admit to how she was really feeling, the normal cynical tone dying in her voice. And even with it not being that specific, there was still the fear of having opened up too much to him anyway, but strangely, she found herself almost not bothered by it. As if there was a part of her that wanted to open up to him anyway, even with her reservations about it.

“You’ll be fine”, he simply stated, and even with its simplicity, it made her smile, and the two of the ended-up gazing at each other, but there was something different about it. Almost softer, sweeter. Two words that on one would never be used to describe either of them, but this moment sure was.

“I know”, she breathlessly whispered, and even with the smirk that was starting to form on her lips, nothing about it was broken.

Mason suddenly blinked, as if he was surprised by what happened, but he did not turn away, “How long do you think you’ll be?”

“You know what”, she remarked, “I’m just going to take this paperwork back to the warehouse. If I have to spend another minute in this office, I might tear it apart myself”

He gave a low chuckle, an almost steely glimmer appearing in his gray eyes, “That works with me”

“Does it, sunshine?”, she smirked, but with an unexpected lightness to it anyway, and it sent hints of smiles on both of their faces.

Mariana went to go grab the stack of paperwork on her desk before walking back up to him, and she tried to hide her surprise when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

He lifted his eyebrow at her expression, and the meaning was obvious

_What?_

She shook her head slightly, a shockingly gentle smile on her lips, “Nothing”

The two of them walked out of the office together, both of them caught up in the surprisingly tender moment between them, and neither of them wanted to push it away.


	6. Made You Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at writing deep relationship Mason, and it was a bit tricky, but I think I really liked how it turned out! But don’t worry, we’ll be back to our normally scheduled programming of these two ignoring their feelings soon enough ;)

If you told Mariana a year and a half ago that the brooding man with the steely gray eyes who lit a cigarette in her office even with the obvious no smoking sign would become her boyfriend, without a doubt, she would have laughed in your face.

_Boyfriend._

_It still feels weird to even call him that._

A lifetime of avoiding attachments had crumbled when she had met him, whether she had realized it then or not. It was like, right then, she knew that she was never going to get rid of him, and he was never going to get rid of her.

She did not regret that it all came down, as much as it had scared her at first.

And as the walls that she had been building over the course of her life were pulled down, it left her with a realization.

_We already had loyalty to each other, something that I think surprised both of us._

_At least, for me he did._

Part of her did regret taking so long to actually realize what she was feeling, but the other part was perfectly fine with how it had turned out in the end. It had all come together just like it was intended to, and she never wanted to take that away from it. Time had just made it sweeter.

_The fire was mean to last after all._

_And oh, how it is burning so bright now, with nothing that can quench it._

It was a strange feeling to feel for her, but she never had felt just unexplainably _elated_ before. There was always something that dragged her back down, keeping her in the here and now. But she felt like she was in the clouds, and for the first time, she did not care just how long the fall to earth was.

She did not know what the hell to expect when they made it “official”, never having had a relationship get to that level and neither did Mason, and it almost seemed silly to ask other people what to expect with that switch. For some reason, she almost believed that everything would change once that happened, and part of her was fearful that would happen, but it did not. It was the same as it always was, just something more solid about it. Like an added security, even if she did not truly understand that, it still feeling new to her.

That was not to say it was not grounded in something before, because it was. More subtle, but it was always there. But the finality of making it true, that the two of them had finally stopped dancing around the issue and admitted it to each other.

It was a promise even, the promise to stick by each other until the end.

Whenever that end may be.

_But you’re not going on if there will be an end now, focus on the beginning._

Mariana laughed at the memory of the rest of the team finding out about it, and even though she knew they had noticed that something was going on, something deeper, it was not enough to wipe the surprise of their faces, something that she still treasured, since she could remember a similar look on her face when both her and Mason had finally figured out what they were.

_I think they were all as surprised as we were._

Felix had not been able to stop teasing Mason about it ever since it had happened, and she did not think that Nate’s knowing smile, that little, _I told you so_ , would ever quite wipe off at his face at the two of them, which she supposed that she deserved after everything she did to avoid her own feelings in the first place. And well, Adam, seemed to care less about it, from the surface at least, but she still treasured the ways his eyes widened when he realized, which she had made sure to make fun of him for.

_He just makes it so damn easy._

_I have never met someone easier to make fun of, it’s quite an accomplishment really._

But today, was not going to be about the team.

Instead, it was about hanging around her room with Mason at the warehouse, avoiding work for as long as possible. The past year had been a whirlwind ever since finding out about the supernatural, which still felt like the most unbelievable thing that she had ever heard, but it was the truth, and with everything that she had seen there was no denying that.

And as much as it still overwhelmed her at times, she was starting to get better at dealing with it. Yes, the supernatural may be out there, and apparently forever after her blood, but she had found a stronger semblance of family with the Unit then she had ever had before, and no one, supernatural or otherwise, was going to take that away. She would fight tooth and nail to keep that safe. 

She looked over her room, it decorated just as darkly as the one back at her apartment, the only light coming from the small lamp on her nightstand, and it was crazy to her how comfortable that she felt here, as if she had lived here her entire life.

_It feels like home._

Mariana turned over to look over at Mason, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and her hand on his thigh, how they typically ended up. It was pure closeness, almost pure, even though she knew that would never be used to describe either of them, it was something that she would never want to give up, as much as that still surprised her after so long of shying away from committed relationships, and getting close to people in general.

They may not have anything to say to each other as they spent these moments together, but she hardly cared. Let the comfortable silence come, soothing like a blanket in the middle of winter. Him being there was enough.

_Being with him feels like home._

She moved her head to fit into the crook on his neck, savoring the added closeness, and she could feel him give a low chuckle.

“What?”, she muttered, moving her head to meet his eyes, “You have an issue, sunshine?”

But the sarcasm of as said her pet name for him had died off, being left with only truth, genuine truth. Because in a strange way, he did light up her life, in a way that no one else had, which still surprised her, especially considering how she would never thought so just a year ago.

_I don’t anyone else would say that he does so._

_But I don’t care._

_He does for me._

“No”, he muttered simply, with the smallest raise of his eyebrow, and Mariana could feel a devilish grin slide across her face.

She moved closer till she was mere inches away from his face, her eyes gleaming in challenge, “Then what is this about then?”

Not seeming to have an answer for that, he brought them the two of them together in a kiss. And even as it was full of passion as it normally was, there was something different as well. Almost a sweetness that was quite there yet, something deeper than either of them knew what to do with, and were both still figuring that out.

But she was more then prepared to figure out what that was, with this man at her side.

_With whatever that entails._

“Good answer”, she almost purred as they moved apart, and Mason gave a smirk in return.

“I would think so, sweetheart”, he replied, his eyes almost seeming to glimmer, and she smiled at it.

“It was you the whole time, you know”, she said suddenly, not really sure why she was doing so, but it felt right. A small truth that they both knew, but needed someone to finally say. And she was more then okay then being the one to do so. She was no longer afraid anymore.

“Tell me again”, he scarcely whispered, and at first Mariana thought it was because he did not believe her, but the almost full smile said otherwise, and while it looked slightly strange on his face, something she had never seen before, she would never do anything to get rid of it.

“It was you the whole time”, she whispered in return, meeting his lips in another kiss.

The two had never outwardly said that they loved each other, but it was implied in everything that they did, and the small statement was pretty much a declaration of it, even if they may not act like it was.

_We’ve got a long way to go to figure out this whole relationship thing._

_And I’m fully for figuring it out._

Time seemed to pass quickly and slowly at the same time as they stayed there together, neither ever wanting it to end.


	7. Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has massive Book 3 demo #2 spoilers! Just be warned!
> 
> The whole reason this exists in the first place is because of something that happens in that demo with M's route (And if you know, you know)

There was no way he could put into words how he felt as he watched Mariana leave.

And how the words had settled in his tongue, and how as much as he wanted to say something, _anything_ to her, the short plea of trying to take back what was spoken.

_Mari, please wait._

The damage had already been done, however, and nothing that he could have said now would have changed anything. And no matter how many times he went over them in his head, Mason could not figure out _why_ he said them.

“ _She’s just seeing me naked. Nothing else going on here_.”

Part of him wanted to blame the bakery lady for asking the question in the first place, as if just putting the blame on someone else would make this sudden gnawing feeling, a feeling he had never quite felt before, go away, but it was starting to look like there was no chance with that.

Because it was not her fault. It was not anyone’s except his own.

Mason almost wanted to go talk to Mari, knowing that she would likely chew him out if he did, but he deserved it anyway, did he not? But he had no idea what he would even say to her if he did go, so now he was here, alone in his room at the warehouse, frustration at himself continuing to crawl at him, as much as it confused him.

_We both knew what this was getting into this._

_Then why does it feel like it has changed?_

And try as he might, he could not get the fleeting hurt in her hazel eyes out his mind. Mariana, who had the same view on relationships as he did, or so they had both thought. There was something _different,_ and for a while, he had believed that he was the only one that was feeling this way, and it would go away eventually. But then she asked _that_ question.

“ _Is it going to mean something if we do?”_

A few months ago, he would have known the answer to that question, and he was sure that she would have to, but now? The more he realized that he just did not know, and from perhaps from her own hesitance in asking the question on the first place, she was not either.

But he had no idea what it could possibly mean, and it was something that he supposed he would just figure out later on, even if most of him was sure it would mean nothing in the end.

That one nagging part of him, however? That maybe, just perhaps, this was something deeper, would not leave him alone, and it definitely was not going away after this.

And he could not forgive himself for the fact that he knew that he _hurt_ her. Her response was evident in that.

_“Oh please. Me being the one that’s naked is way more important to you”_

Mason had hung around her long enough to know that Mariana often hid her true feelings behind a quick sarcastic joke, whether it was how much the trapper’s bounty was bothering her or topics just as these.

But he had seen the more sincere side of her, even if he had not been fully aware of it at the time. If this was truly nothing more, why would she do so? The fear that he would never see that side of her again was starting to overwhelm his thoughts, that moment on the roof, that sort of _connection_ was gone forever.

And it just left him with another realization.

_She’s just going to think you were lying about not knowing if this will ever actually mean something_

But _goddammit_ , he was _not._ In the midst of the confusion that she was slowly piling onto him, he had meant that. Perhaps it seemed like he was just trying to avoid the question, but that was never his intention.

And what somehow hurt the most that Mariana had seemed to accept that answer, almost seeming relieved by it. But fat chance of her believing him now.

He stopped pacing his room for just a second, his eyes falling on nightstand at the edge of his bed, and before Mason could stop himself, he stepped closer to it, and he pulled out the picture from the carnival, hidden in one of the drawers to what he had rationalized was to just keep Felix from finding it.

Sanja had given it to him after, while no treaty, peace was established, and he was not sure why he was still hanging on to it. It was simply a mission after all, and there was nothing real about it.

Everything in him told him that he needed to get rid of it, but there was something _calming_ about it. The simple closeness between them, the mischievous glint in her eyes and her normal lazy, sarcastic smile, it almost made the rest of the world seem to quiet, nothing else beside the two of them in that moment.

_Why do you keep doing this?_

_Why can’t you just throw it away?_

Mason gently traced his fingers over it, as if it would tear if he handled it too roughly, and he continued to stare at it, the committing the picture to even further memory then it already was.

He then felt himself slightly snarl, and he put it back away as a fresh wave of pain seemed to overtake him at the fear that this might never happen again.

And the thought of that terrified him, but he was not sure what way to actually go through an apology? Or something of the sorts? He was not sure how he was going to deal with seeing her again, or how she would either.

The others had seemed to notice the weird tension when he got back, Felix not even saying one comment about him being out with her, instead giving him an almost genuine smile full of worry, and part of him was bracing for when Nate would come to talk to him, but he seemed to have the same reaction as Felix did when Mason had gotten back, not looking like he wanted to push it either.

But with them gone, it just left him alone to his own thoughts, and while he normally preferred being alone, maybe it would not have him being completely submersed in all that had happened.

He moved to fall on the side of his bed, and as much as he told himself not to, he pulled that picture out again, trying to ignore the sudden weight in his chest.


	8. Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Book 3 Demo Spoilers! 
> 
> Finally wrote how Mari's feeling after that whole bakery scene (felt it fair after Mason) so here this is!

She would rather forget the past day even happened.

Go back to a time where she was completely ignorant of any of this, let herself go about her life with never knowing this new raw ache of feeling.

In the corner of her mind, Mariana wished that she had never met him. It would be way better than having to deal with whatever was going on.

But even she could not fully convince herself of this, not in the slightest. A flash of those grey eyes in her mind, and it struck her that she could not even fathom not knowing Mason. Perhaps that was foolish, but maybe he gave her something that she never knew that she needed.

_As if_

_Don’t start this ridiculousness_

_Especially not now_

Whatever the case may be, it was certainly something that she never wanted, but _fuck_ did she not have it now?

No one in her entire life had ever had made her feel this way, part of herself wanting to curl into a ball and cry until there was no more tears that she had left to do so, and the other part (and quite admittedly, the louder one) wanted to yell until her voice was hoarse, perhaps cuss him out in the process, she was not sure.

_God, what is this?_

_Why do I feel this way?_

Regardless of what her brain begged her to do, one thing had gotten there first. The numbness, seeming to smother all of the feelings in her chest, until she felt like she was falling apart for all the world to see.

As if her apartment was made of glass, and all of Wayhaven was able to see right into her crumbling state.

Not that was obvious at the moment. All she had been able to do since she gotten home was to pour herself a glass of whisky and collapse on her balcony outside, as if it was the only way she was going to be able to cope, the bitter taste all that was on her tongue, words having died straight down.

Everything that had been said still haunted her, starting as a whisper, and then getting louder and louder, an almost ringing in her ears, and nothing could be done to get them just be _quiet_.

“ _She’s just seeing me naked. Nothing else is going on here”_

The Mariana of a few months ago would have been okay with that, she would have taken in all in stride. Because that was all that she after as well, right? Why would he see it any different?

But there was something else, what had not been placed yet, all the confusion in her brain, what she had fought so long to push away, because surely, that could not possibly be what happened, right? It was such a crazy idea, and yet, here they were. Right in front of her.

_You caught feelings._

_You goddamn idiot._

There were hints of it before, what had the time she did not understand. Hints of what was slowly starting to bloom inside, and she was starting to be slowly okay with figuring out what exactly it was, because in truth it did help make some things make sense, and Mason seemed to feel it as well, even seemed to say so not long before, looking as conflicted as she felt.

_“I don’t know the goddamn answer”_

When she had asked if it was ever going to mean something, she was honestly not sure if it was the same herself. It was still something that she was slowly coming around to, the idea of it even.

Well, she had her answer, did she not? He was quite clear with that.

Was he lying to her, and did he know all along his answer? Because God, if the answer was no, she would have been able to deal with that. At least he would have been honest with her.

But the longer she thought about it, how would have she have even answered that question from Haley? What was she even going to say before Mason interrupted? Mariana realized that her answer would have probably not been pretty in the slightest either, and the frustration seemed to die in her chest.

_Perhaps he’s figuring it out as well._

It seemed unlikely at the time, with a quick sarcastic comment as she had tried desperately to hide just how hurt he was, but the more that she focused on what happened afterwards, and how we almost seemed to _wilt_ as she left, not looking back at her, his features tinged in something that she had never seen in them before.

_Regret_

Or maybe she was wrong about that, she was not sure. Regardless, she was going to have to see him at one point or another, and she had no idea what she was even going to say to him. What could she say that could possibly put what she was feeling into words? It’s not like she had ever been in this situation before.

_Because you were smart enough to keep yourself out of it._

_Now, you are a fool. Such a fool._

But even through the pain, the new ache in her chest that she had never felt before and had spent most of her romantic life (if it could be even called that) trying to avoid this exact thing from happening, it almost was cathartic in a way. A fool she may be, but one that actually understand what was going on around her. Would she have preferred this not to have been dropped on her head like this? Of course. But beggars could not be choosers, and this is what the last month and a half of her begged answers had led to.

Even so, perhaps she was just being optimistic, seeing what was there when there was nothing. But in order to stop everything else that she was feeling from taking over, this was what she had to do, if for her own sanity.

She would find what she wanted to say when they saw each other again, she had to. This was not something that was just going to occur and then forgotten about. Not with the revelation that still threatened to shake her that had come from it.

It had certainly answered the question as to why she was here, looking up at the stars. The Mariana before she became the detective and the supernatural had overwhelmed Wayhaven hated the silence, it never seeming to not feel deafening to her, but she, without really realizing it at first, had started to see the beauty in it. Calming, in a way that she would have never craved before.

And perhaps also that being here reminded her of Mason, a dull ache, but a smile, not her usual smirk, but a smile, alight her face anyway, hope that there would be moments like the night they had spent of the roof of the warehouse together.

At least, she wanted there to be.

Stronger than she had ever felt the pull with anyone before.

And shit, that terrified her. The newness of it all, like a beacon shining from after that she had slowly made her way towards, but it was not all awful, at least what she was coming to find out.

But it did leave her wanting to talk to _someone_ about it, since if she left in her own head for much longer, Mariana would probably actually scream. An outside perspective, who could see more beyond what the hell her eyes were seeing.

Unfortunately, no one that she thought of seemed to seem like a good person to talk to. It was late, and it was likely that Verda and Tina had already gone to bed, and even if she did want to talk to one of them, Verda was more then likely with his family, and she would rather not interrupt his time with them for whatever this was. And Tina, as good as a friend as she was, would probably not be the one that she needed to get advice from. She definitely wanted to talk about it with her, just give it some time while she tried to figure out what was going on.

Her immediate thought of who was probably the best idea was Nate, who would be the best listener for this situation, and might actually help her put some things in order in her head. But what would she even say if she did? How would she even explain what happened?

She did not even know if the others even knew what had happened that morning, but that seemed unlikely, since she did doubt that Mason would have told them. And dragging the rest of Unit Bravo was starting to be something that she really did not want to do.

But as she scrolled through the contacts in her phone, her fingers came to a stop at Mason’s name, and she got the sudden urge to call him.

_He’s the one that you want to talk to, is he not?_

And even though every part of her told her to stop, that this was an awful decision and that she was sure to regret this, her impulsiveness seemed to get the better of her, and she clicked the call button even with her hands starting to shake.

It did not take him long to pick up, and she felt her breath catch as he did.

“Mari?”

No petname, no smirk in his voice. It was almost desperate, pleading, in a way that she had never heard him do before, as if part of him could not believe she had actually called him at all.

Trying to push down the sudden ache that had formed in her heart, she fought for her next words to say.

“Yeah, it’s me. Can we talk?”

**Author's Note:**

> I do hope I wrote Mason well, since I do struggle to write him, so tell me if anything felt off. (Mari is hard for me too because she is so different personality wise) But I hope you enjoyed! If you have any suggestions, either type them in the comments or send me a message at @smalltowndetective
> 
> But also big thanks to @gamingtrashbasin on tumblr for the original post that inspired it all. (I've done a birthday post for each of Unit Bravo, they are all on Ao3 and tumblr) I did really like doing this short little snippet series, so if you have suggestions, don't hesitate to send them my way!


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